Baby vaccination schedule

The baby's vaccination schedule includes the vaccines that the child must take from the time he is born until he is 4 years old, since the baby when he is born does not have the necessary defenses to fight infections and the vaccines help to stimulate the protection of the organism, decreasing the risk of becoming ill and helping the child to grow up healthy and to develop properly. Understand how the immune system works.

All vaccinations on the calendar are recommended by the Ministry of Health and, therefore, are free of charge, and must be administered at the maternity ward, at a health center or at the pediatrician. Most vaccines are applied to the child's thigh or arm and it is essential that parents, on the day of the vaccine, take the vaccination booklet so that they can record which vaccines have already been administered, in addition to being able to set the date of the next vaccination.

Vaccines that the baby should take

The baby's vaccination schedule was last updated in 2016, reducing the number of doses of some vaccines. Thus, the plan that is currently in effect includes:

At birth

BCG vaccine: it is a single dose that avoids severe forms of tuberculosis and, which is usually applied in the maternity ward and leaves a scar on the arm throughout life, and must be formed up to 6 months; Hepatitis B vaccine: the 1st dose The vaccine prevents hepatitis B, which is caused by a virus that can affect the liver, and must be applied within the first 12 hours after birth.

2 months

VIP vaccine: 1st dose of polio vaccine, also known as infantile paralysis; VORH vaccine: 1st dose against gastroenteritis, which is given through drops in the baby's mouth; Pentavalent vaccine: 1st dose of the diphtheria vaccine, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis and other infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B; Pneumococcal Vaccine 10V: 1st dose against invasive pneumococcal disease, meningitis, pneumonia and otitis.

3 months

Meningococcal C vaccine: 1st dose, against serogroup C meningococcal meningitis.

Four months

VIP vaccine: 2nd dose of the vaccine against childhood paralysis; Pentavalent vaccine: 2nd dose with VIP of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis and other infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B; VORH vaccine: 2nd dose against gastroenteritis; Vaccine Pneumococcal 10V: 2nd dose against invasive pneumococcal disease, meningitis, pneumonia and otitis.

5 months

Meningococcal C vaccine: 2nd dose, against serogroup C meningococcal meningitis.

6 months

VIP vaccine: 3rd dose of the vaccine against childhood paralysis; Pentavalent vaccine: 3rd dose of the vaccine with VIP against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis and other infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B.

9 months

Yellow fever vaccine: single dose against yellow fever.

12 months

Pneumococcal Vaccine C: Reinforcement of the vaccine against meningitis, pneumonia and otitis.Vaccine Hepatitis A: 1st dose, the 2nd indicated at 18 months of age; Triple Viral Vaccine: 1st dose against measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, mumps;
Meningococcal C vaccine: reinforcement against meningitis C;

15 months

Pentavalent vaccine: 4th dose of the VIP vaccine with 1st boost of the DTP vaccine, which protects the baby against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough; VOP vaccine: 4th dose of the polio vaccine; Tetra viral vaccine: vaccine that protects against measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox;

Four years

DTP vaccine: 2nd booster of the vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. Pentavalent vaccine: 5th dose with booster of DTP against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough.

In case of forgetfulness, it is important to vaccinate the child as soon as it is possible to go to the health center, in addition to taking all doses of each vaccine for the baby to be fully protected.

In addition to the aforementioned vaccines, the baby can also take the rotavirus vaccine which, despite not protecting the child 100%, mitigates the symptoms, which is of great help, since the symptoms of rotovirus are very intense and can lead to dehydration in a few hours. Learn more about the rotavirus vaccine.

When to go to the doctor after vaccination

After the baby has a vaccine, it is recommended to go to the emergency room if the baby has:

Changes in the skin such as red pellets or irritation; Fever above 39ºC; Convulsions; Difficulty breathing, have a lot of cough or make a noise when breathing.

These signs usually appear within 2 hours after vaccination may indicate a reaction to the vaccine. Therefore, when symptoms appear, you should go to the doctor to avoid worsening the situation.

In addition, it is also recommended to go to the pediatrician if normal reactions to the vaccine, such as redness or pain in the area, do not disappear after a week. To know what to do in this case read: Learn how to alleviate the most common side effects of vaccines.

High fever and use of corticosteroids are examples of factors that prevent vaccination, so know when not to vaccinate your child.